Team Blitz India
NEW DELHI: At least 107 people, mostly women, died in a major stampede during a religious event in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district on July 2. The incident took place when a religious preacher was addressing his followers at a specially laid tent in the RatiBhanpur village in the Sikandra Rau area of Hathras district.
According to the police, prima facie, it appears that suffocation at the venue led to discomfort among the people attending the ‘Satsang’. Following this, the people started running, causing a stampede. It was very hot and humid during the event, the police added.
“It was a satsang meeting of Bhole Baba, a religious preacher. A temporary permission was granted for gathering at the spot on the border of Etah and Hathras district on Tuesday afternoon,” Inspector General (Aligarh Range) ShalabhMathur said.
Some of the deceased have been identified as – Ganga Devi (70) from Hathras, Priyanka (20) from Kasganj, Jasoda (70) from Mathura, and SarojLata (60) from Etah. Two deceased children have also been identified – Kavya (4) and Ayush (8), both hailing from Shahjahnpur.